


Catching Lightbugs

by zephyrcat3



Series: Garden of Fireflies [4]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Centaurs, Deer, F/F, Foxes, Horns, M/M, Naga, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Selkies, Shifters, Summer Vacation, Vampires, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26056609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zephyrcat3/pseuds/zephyrcat3
Summary: Natsu and his friends plan for their summer vacation.
Relationships: Natsu/Alex, Natsu/His friends
Series: Garden of Fireflies [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888261





	Catching Lightbugs

Summer break. The greatest time of the year for students and teachers alike. Though it was extended because of a temporary quarantine, it would still be just as fun. What was next for Natsu and his friends could be figured out later. For now, all they thought about was the fun they were going to have together. After school, they all met up at the park. Natsu and Alex were the first to make it after a quick trip to a small store for flurry sodas.

"How're you gonna spend your break, Natsu?" Alex quizzed, sipping at his Pepsi flurry. Natsu shrugged, not really sure about what he was gonna do. His mums never really talked about it, so he didn't know for sure.

"Maybe we should figure it out when the others get here, yeah?" He suggested. Natsu nodded in agreement and took a sip of his cola flurry.

"..You never did tell me just why you can't talk," He brought up. "I don't mean to intrude but..Is it medical?"

Natsu shook his head.

"..Is it something to do with anxiety?" He guessed. Natsu nodded and looked down. 

"..You want me to stop, don't you?" He queried. Natsu shook his head.

"You seem sad, so I'll stop for now," He said. Natsu nodded. 

There was an awkward silence between them for a moment before the Tsundoku triplets came along.

"Heyy!" Sabi greeted, sitting between them. 

"Sabi! Good to see you!" Alex chirped. Natsu smiled and waved at him and the others.

"Soo, what're you two lovebirds up to?~" Wabi quizzed, sitting next to Alex. Alex blushed and looked away with Natsu.

"Oh, n-not much. Just chattin'," He responded.

"Just chattin', huh?~ About kissin' and huggin'?~" Wabi guessed in a flirty manner. Kintsugi got between them.

"Give them a break, Wabi," He chided. "They're not a thing yet."

"Yet?" Alex echoed.

"Do you ship them?" Sabi quizzed.

"..They seem quite cute together..," Sugi admitted. Natsu spat out his cola. Alex did the same.

"Y-You really see us as a couple, Sugi?" Alex asked.

"..I always thought you two would be adorable together," He professed. Natsu gave a squeak, finding it suddenly difficult to keep his fluffed-up and flustered wings down under his hoodie. His face reddened more, and he put on his hood to hide his face

”You okay, Natsu?” Alex checked, reaching out to him. He turned away from him.

”Natsu, what’s wrong?” Sabi quizzed.

”Are you feeling ok?” Wabi queried. Things suddenly became too much for him, and he ran off

”Natsu!” Alex called. Natsu ran and hid as far as he could.

”Is he gonna be okay?” Sabi questioned.

”I hope he’s feeling alright," Wabi said.

"Should I go find him? He seemed..nervous about something," Alex questioned. 

"He needs space. Let's leave him be for now and let him come back on his own," Sugi advised. The group sat in worried silence.

Meanwhile, with Natsu, he snatched off his hoodie and unfurled his wings to let them breathe. They were uncomfortable and hot under his hoodie. There wasn't enough room to breathe and get cool. The wind blowing against his wings felt more than refreshing as he sat in the gazebo.

As he sat, he wondered what the others would think of his wings. Would they be scared? Would they scream and run away? Would they hate him? No, of course not. Those were his friends, right? He's sure they'd understand. Besides, Alex already knew about them, so he shouldn't worry so much. After a few minutes of time with himself, he took a deep breath, folded his wings, put his hoodie back on, and rejoined the group at the bench. The fox triplets and Ajisai joined them after he'd left.

"Natsu!" The triplets greeted, sprinting over to him.

"How've ya been?" Kouyou quizzed.

"Where've ya been?" Rakuyou questioned.

"Are um..Are you ok?" Shirinyoku shyly queried. Natsu gave an almost silent squeak and shrunk himself. Aji got in between them.

"Oi now, lads. Give him some space," He advised. "He's still somewhat nervous and anxious."

"Oh, right. Sorry, Natsu," Kou apologized.

"Yeah, sorry Natsu," Raku repeated.

"S-sorry..," Shirin echoed. Natsu got up and shrugged it off with a small grin. They joined the rest of the group shortly.

"So, any plans for the summer?" Kouyou quizzed.

"How about a road trip for all nine of us?" Wabi suggested.

"Ooh! Or a pride parade!" Raku proposed.

"That'll be in June," Sugi acknowledged.

"Yeah, but it's still a good idea," Raku said.

"H-How about we just stay in and relax with each other's company?" Shirin recommended.

"That'd be nice, but it'd be nicer to get out," Aji commented. As they talked, Alex turned to Natsu. He seemed less nervous but something seemed to be bothering him.

"You okay?" He quizzed. He shook his head. 

"Is it your wings again?" He questioned. He nodded in reply.

"Are they bothering you?" He asked. He shook his head.

"Do you need to let them out again?" He queried. He nodded in response. It didn't take too long for his wings to become uncomfortable again. Especially with the summer heat.

"Are you sure? Do you think you'll be comfortable letting them out in front of the others?" He asked. He nodded, standing up and taking a deep breath.

"Want me to tell them before you let em' out?" He queried. He shook his head and took off his hoodie, unfurling his wings. Aji was the first to notice.

"By the gods. I can't believe it!" He gasped. "Guys, look! Natsu has wings!"

The others looked in confusion that turned into surprise and awe.

"They're so pretty!" Sabi complimented.

"And fluffy! Can I pet them?" Wabi added.

"They fit you well, kiddo," Sugi praised.

"They're fudgy brown!" Kou pointed out.

"Like a brownie!" Raku added.

"Y'know..We have wings too," Shirin admitted, unfurling his own wings with his brothers.

"So do we!" The Tsundoku triplets said, unfolding their wings.

"I don't mean to brag but, I have wings too," Aji told, spreading out his wings.

"Now you don't need to feel alone!" Alex smiled. Natsu didn't expect this, but he couldn't be happier. His wings flapped, and he made little squeaks of joy.

"He sure seems happy," Sugi chuckled.

"I s-suppose this is where we stop planning?" Shirin asked.

"I guess so," He answered with a grin. "Say, you wanna go out later?"

"L-Like on a date?" He questioned. "Jeez..You didn't even get my number yet.."

"I was hopin' I'd get it today. I was..honestly pretty nervous to ask anyway," He admitted. 

"W-Well, maybe you can get it after our date," He recommended. 

"Sounds like a plan then," He agreed. Shirin blushed and smiled softly. Sugi did the same.

As things began to hit off, two girls arrived at the park. One of them, Ainsley, was Aji's cousin.

"Yo, Aji!" She waved, getting his attention. He gasped and beamed.

"Ainsley!" He gushed, trotting over to hug and greet her. "It's been so long! Where have you been?"

"I moved back to Scotland for a few years before movin' back here," She told. "It's so good to see you again!"

The group seemed confused. They didn't quite remember Ainsley or her friend.

"Oh! Ainsley, these are my friends!" He introduced, walking over to the bench with her.

"Hey, I remember y'all!" She chirped. She turned to Natsu first. "Natsu, right?"

Natsu nodded and gave a small grin.

"You remember them?" Aji quizzed.

"Of course! She responded. "It seemed like years ago when we all had a little get-together at your house. It was rainin' out, and my parents were too far from home so we pretty much had to crash at yours for a bit."

Alex snapped his fingers, suddenly remembering that day.

"Oh, yeah! That was the day where Me, Natsu, The triplets, and Aji met!" He remembered. "I didn't know Ainsley was your cousin!"

"She's my cousin on my..other dad's side," He acknowledged. "I don't usually like talking about my other dad since.."

"It's alright. You don't have to talk about him if you don't want to," Alex reassured, putting a hand on his shoulder with a smile.

"Thanks, Alex," He appreciated.

"No prob!" He smiled.

"Did I introduce you to Nostalgie-Lune?" Ainsley inquired, gesturing to the shy girl hiding under her black and purple parasol and wearing a goth-pastel, black, and cyan dress. "She's my girlfriend!"

"She was the shy girl at the party, right?" Kou recalled.

"She didn't really talk much then. She's still shy, but she talks a bit more now," Ainsley said. 

"It's so sweet how you two got together!" Raku gushed. "I've always loved when childhood friends became lovers."

"We've been together for about two years now," Ainsley advised. "What're you guys talkin' about by the way?"

"We were just planning out summer stuff," Kou said. 

"Ooh, do tell," She answered, sitting with the group.

"Well, we do wanna get outta town, right?" Sabi asked.

"Yeah, but where'll we go?" Wabi answered.

"Ooh! Let's go to Romania!" Ainsley suggested.

"Ooh, how fun!" Raku chirped.

"We could see castles, go to festivals, ride carriages, it'll be fun!" Kou agreed.

"We could go to our home country. Australia," Sugi proposed.

"I do love a good beach," Kou commented.

"Wait, wouldn't it be cold?" Aji quizzed.

"It wasn't cold where we lived," Wabi advised.

"In winter, you could still go to the beach," Sabi informed.

"How about..Florida?" Alex recommended.

"They have nice beaches too! And really cool places to go to! Don't even get me started on the hotels. You can rent a go-kart AND a motorcycle! Isn't that cool?" Sabi gushed.

"That sounds like a lotta fun!" Ainsley chirped. "Ya know, I recommend you come to Scotland. There's the Edinburgh Castle, Loch Lomond where there's a national park and aquarium, The Royal Yacht, The Isle of Skye, and the Inner Hebrides just to name a few."

"I've been many times before. Trust me, it's fun," Aji commented.

"Let's all face facts here. The best place to visit is Japan. Do you know how much anime stuff they have there? It's an Otaku's paradise!" Sabi advised.

"Considering how big it is, I think it's a good place to visit too," Alex agreed. Natsu agreed too. Japan was his home away from home. It was where his second mother, Hazakura was born. It was where he got eighty percent of his heritage and background from too. Though he was eighty percent English and only seventy-nine percent African. He only visited twice to visit family, but he'd love to go back.

"So then it's settled. We'll visit Japan this year. Anyone oppose?" Alex said. Thankfully, no one opposed.

"Sweet! It's getting dark out, so we should all head home," Alex advised. "Wanna hang tomorrow?"

"Sure! Though, Sugi and Shirin may be gone but you'll still have us," Sabi grinned. 

"Cool. See you tomorrow then!" Alex waved, walking out the park with Natsu. Alex drove Natsu home and was offered to stay the night for being a good friend. He accepted and for most of the night, he and Natsu stayed up watching Halloween movies. Soon, they both fell asleep beside each other with faint smiles painted on their faces.


End file.
